Authorities in Florida warn of shark attacks on Gulf Coast beaches after three

SEACREST, Fla. – Authorities are warning of the shark danger this weekend along Florida’s Gulf Coast, where three people were injured in two separate shark attacks Friday.

The attacks off the beaches of the Florida Panhandle prompted authorities to temporarily close beaches in Walton County to swimmers on Friday. Authorities said they would review conditions and safety measures for the rest of the weekend.

At this time of year, small fish are found in schools near the shore, which may have contributed to the attacks, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

Some beaches flew both red and purple flags on Saturday to warn swimmers.

“Purple flags indicate the presence of dangerous marine life and single red flags indicate a high danger level,” the Bay County Sheriff’s Office said in a social media post Saturday.

Both attacks on Friday occurred in Walton County, but other counties are also taking precautions.

The first attack occurred Friday afternoon when a woman was bitten by a shark near WaterSound Beach, the Walton County Sheriff’s Office said. She suffered severe injuries to her hip and left forearm and was flown to a trauma center, authorities said.

Less than two hours later, firefighters were dispatched to another beach about 4 miles east of the first attack “after receiving multiple reports of a teenager injured by a shark,” the sheriff’s office said.

Two teenagers were in waist-deep water with a group of friends when they were attacked, the South Walton Fire District said.

“When lifeguards and deputies arrived on scene, they found one of the women had significant injuries to her thigh and hand,” firefighters said in an update. She was flown to a trauma center. The other teen had what officials described as minor injuries to a foot.

Also on Friday, a woman was seriously injured in a suspected shark attack in the waters off the island of Oahu, Hawaii officials said.

According to experts, shark attacks are rare.

According to the University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File, there were 69 unprovoked bites worldwide last year, 10 of which were fatal. That’s more than the recent average of six deaths per year.